


An Introduction to Canadian Culture

by xslytherclawx



Series: Cat Café Universe [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, JJ Style Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 05:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11502270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx
Summary: Jean-Jacques Leroy, in an attempt to become best friends with his new(ish) rink mate, Otabek Altin, tries to find common ground.It doesn't go over as well as he'd planned.(For JJ Style Week, Day six: Hobbies. A day late but it's here!)





	An Introduction to Canadian Culture

In all the time Jean-Jacques Leroy had known Otabek Altin, they’d really mostly spent time together on the ice, or during breaks from skating. Otabek seemed to JJ to be a pretty introverted person… but that wasn’t going to stop JJ from becoming his best friend.

“What do you do in your free time?” JJ asked him one day while they were at Tim Horton’s. JJ knew he shouldn’t, but Iced Capps were his guilty pleasure, and his only indulgence, food-wise, during the season. Otabek, on the other hand, was more responsible, and usually got a tea of some kind.

Otabek’s expression didn’t change, but JJ had learned that Otabek’s expression  _ rarely _ changed. The younger skater had a serious case of resting bitch face, but he seemed to be a good person underneath his prickly-looking exterior.

“I read a lot,” Otabek said finally.

Reading. That was… something JJ couldn’t really relate to. Reading was just so  _ hard _ ; it required too much attention, and there were a million other things he’d rather be doing at any given moment. “Anything else?” JJ asked.

“I like music.”

That could be a common thread. “So do I! What kind? I mostly like rock music.”

Otabek took a sip of his apple cinnamon tea. “Rock. I like Queen a lot.”

“Oh, so like, old rock music? I like Nickelback. And Simple Plan, too. Depends on my mood.”

There was a flicker of  _ something _ across Otabek’s face, which JJ couldn’t place. “Any bands that aren’t Canadian?” he asked.

JJ sighed. “Fine, fine. I deserve that.” He thought for a second. “Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band.”

Otabek looked infinitesimally less miserable, which JJ took to mean that he was in a good mood. “Really? That’s the music you like?”

JJ shrugged. “That German band Rammstein is pretty good, too, but I can’t understand anything they say.”

Otabek took another sip of his tea. “That’s not really my style.”

Not his  _ style _ ? “ _ Everyone _ loves the Dave Matthews Band, dude!”

“I’ll make you a mix CD,” Otabek said, “of music I like.”

“Okay,” JJ agreed. “What else do you like to do?”

Otabek shrugged.

“Well,” JJ said, “I like watching professional sports. Not just figure skating. I follow the Canadiens during ice hockey season. Montréal also got a major league soccer team a few years ago, Impact, and I follow them.”

Otabek nodded. “I’ve never been to an ice hockey game.”

JJ grinned. This was his opening. “Dude! We should go sometime! Hockey games are  _ awesome _ !”

“Sure,” Otabek agreed, sipping his tea.

JJ realised he’d all but forgotten about his Iced Capp, which was starting to melt. As he drank what was left, he made a reminder in his phone to get hockey tickets for himself and Otabek.

* * *

Two days later, after practise, Otabek handed JJ a jewel CD case. “Mix CD,” Otabek said.

JJ grinned and clapped Otabek on the shoulder. “Thanks, bro! I’m sure this will be great!”

He didn’t, however, have any way to play it until he got home, so, when he and Otabek went their separate ways, JJ put in his headphones and put his iPod on shuffle, enjoying the sounds of Nickelback.

When he got home, he made a beeline for his room. He put the CD into his computer, and played it.

He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t  _ that _ .

Otabek liked really old music.

JJ vowed to show him music that people their age actually  _ listened _ to, because it certainly wasn’t… whatever this was.

* * *

They went to see the Canadiens play the Maple Leafs about a month later. Since the season was on for them, too, they couldn’t exactly eat the delicious and greasy food offered at the rink, but that was okay.

What  _ wasn’t _ okay was that Otabek apparently didn’t know which team they were there to see, as if JJ’s bright red-and-blue jersey wasn’t clear as day. JJ tugged Otabek’s arms down as he went to cheer. “We’re rooting for the Canadiens,” he said. “Trust me… you don’t want to root for the wrong team. We’re in the section for the Canadiens.”

“Oh,” Otabek said. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” JJ said with an easy smile. “Your first hockey game, right?”

“Right,” Otabek agreed.

And that was that. There were no more slip-ups, and JJ thought that Otabek seemed to be enjoying himself. All in all, it was a good night.

Even if Otabek liked the same music JJ’s  _ dad _ liked. JJ chalked that mostly up to Otabek’s background; he was from Kazakhstan, a country which JJ could only probably point out on a map (he knew it was near Russia and China, so, really, he had a base), so it made sense that Otabek’s taste in music was the same as old people’s. It didn’t mean anything besides the fact that JJ needed to start making his friend his own mix CDs.

**Author's Note:**

> JJ's taste in music is awful and never gets to be any better, despite Otabek's continued effort.
> 
> Otabek's mix CD for JJ is mostly classic rock (Queen, Rolling Stones, The Band, Iron Maiden) along with some other music I think he'd like which're also... older music, but not necessarily classic rock (like the Smiths and David Bowie). Generally regarded as very good music, but JJ hears it and thinks it's old people music so of course it's bad.


End file.
